National Express is engaged in discussions in the US about becoming the operator of a high-speed train route across Florida. The subject of the talks is a link between Orlando and Tampa, the first high-speed rail link to be built on this scale in the US. If National Express does become the route’s operator it is highly likely it will also be in charge of line maintenance.
Rail division Managing Director at National Express, Andrew Chivers, confirmed that the company had been talking to a number of consortia about joining them to operate the service. Chivers added that because the scheme had already been granted most of the $2.5 billion needed through a stimulus fund, there was probably no need for any additional equity investment in the project.
Any of the remaining money would probably be debt funded, Chivers went on to say. Of all the high-speed projects being mooted in the US, the Florida link is currently the most likely to get the green light. There are currently plans to build a rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco in California. However, the state’s current financial problems will probably mean further development will be postponed for a while.
A motorway joining Tampa with Orlando will provide much of the land needed for the high-speed link. Built in the 1990s, a central reservation was included which will be able to accommodate the train line.
A second phase to link Orlando with Miami is still in the planning stage but has received $8 million worth of funding for a feasibility study.
source: Comparecarhire
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